A 28-year-old Indian man has been charged with assaulting his four-month-old son and causing life-threatening injuries, including multiple severe skull fractures and brain damage to him and faces 25 years in jail.
Jagsheer Singh of Queens was charged with first-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child. His bail has been set at USD 200,000.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said that according to the charges, the baby's mother Reena Malhotra left her son with her husband Singh on the night of December 19 before going to work.
According to statements made by Singh, the next morning he checked on the baby and found him covered in feces and took the baby into the shower.
After that, Singh admitted that the baby fell off a four-feet high changing table but did not tell his wife about the incident. It is alleged that Singh admitted to observing the baby to be unresponsive and having difficulty breathing.
An examination of the baby at a children's medical center later revealed that the baby suffered multiple severe skull fractures, widespread brain injury resulting from lack of oxygen and retinal hemorrhages.
It is alleged that in examining the baby, medical personnel concluded that the baby's injuries were inconsistent with Singh's account of a short fall from the changing table but rather consistent with the non-accidental inflicted trauma of abusive head trauma.
Based on the nature and severity of the injuries, the baby's symptoms of unresponsiveness and difficulty breathing would have occurred immediately or very shortly after the infliction of the injuries. The baby's medical condition is presently grave.
"Instead of protecting and nurturing this helpless, innocent baby, the defendant is accused of tragically assaulting his son and causing skull fractures and widespread brain injury. The baby is in grave condition and if he does not survive the charges will be upgraded," Brown said.
